Month: January 2015

We’re supposed to get more snow on Sunday into Monday. Oh what joy, what rapture! It’s not like what Massachusetts and the rest of NE got, but any snow here is cause for everyone to be all SNOWPOCALYPSE! It’s not that we’re not used to snow. Because we are. Winter in Ohio usually means snow. I think with the 24 hour news cycle, people tend to freak out about it more because we know about it farther in advance. (Does that make sense?) So we’ll see how this affects Sunday CCD!

III.

So since it’s winter and that means staying in the house, there’s been a lot of house improvement going on. I’ve been organizing papers and either tossing or filing them, and I’m thinking of ways to place things I use on a daily basis. Right now, those things tend to end up on my kitchen table. Well that’s not the best look, aesthetically or practically, because I also use that as a work space sometimes. So I need to find ways of placing things like my Bibles, my household binders, and things like that, so that the items are accessible but not stacked up on the table! So I’m looking into options in that department.

IV.

Some organizational things I like (and no, I don’t get any kickbacks for this, I just love these things): Emily Ley’s Home Base Binder, and I love her magazine boxes, which I use in the Book Room/Official Office. I also love her Simplified Planner, but alas she’s sold out for this year, so no linkage to that. But it’s awesome! Her 2016 ones come out in the summer/fall.

Today I’m working on February’sPower Sheets. Guys, if you have goals to set and things you want to do, do yourself a favor and get some more of these when they’re back in stock in March. You will love them. I promise. They are so helpful to me.

VII.

The Super Bowl is this weekend. I really don’t care because I don’t like either of these teams. Give me more hockey!

Like this:

OK so. Gotta admit, not a lot of knitting happening this week. I know, you’re all disappointed. I’m sorry. So I’m trying to get back on the knitting schedule so you have (hopefully) a finished project to see next Wednesday! 🙂 So alas, no photo this week, but go here for a photo of what I’m doing. 🙂

I’m reading Benedict XVI’s Prayer (about done with that, will finish today!), and I’m about to start Our Mutual Friend, because I’m trying to make my way through most of Dickens. And I’m re-reading Lara Casey’s Make It Happen.

Like this:

Since we’ve had a Dominican Friar and a Dominican Nun (also known as the first and second orders of the Dominican order, respectively), tells us how they pray, it’s time to get the third order in here.

Me. 🙂

So anyway, this is how I pray, and I’m using the same questions put to these fine people. Enjoy.

Who are you?

At the most basic level, I’m a child of God, whom He created with a purpose for some unknown plan of my life. He knows the plan, I don’t, and sometime I’m OK with that. Sometimes I want a burning bush. 🙂

At a more prosaic level, I’m a daughter, writer, actress, singer, first grade CCD teacher, cousin, niece, granddaughter, and sister.

What is your vocation?

My vocation is to the Third Order Dominicans–Lay Dominicans, as we’re called now. We are part of the Dominican family but we are “in the world”, in that we’re not cloistered like the nuns, and we don’t wear habits or live in community, like the nuns and friars do. We have regular work-a-day lives but it’s colored by our specific call to praise, to bless, to preach (one of the order’s mottos) and to spread the Truth of Christ and His Church throughout the world.

What is your prayer routine for an average day?

My day starts are various times–right now I’m writing full-time, so I don’t have a time I have to get up. When I get up I have my coffee and say lauds and then have time for lectio divina, which I’ve recently started in earnest. I find that I have to do it after lauds or it doesn’t get done.

At 3:00, I pray the Divine Mercy chaplet and the Office of Reading. Around 5:00, I pray Vespers and say my rosary, if I haven’t said it earlier in the day. Before bed I usually have at least 15 minutes of spiritual reading/mental prayer, and I’ll say compline if I can. As a Lay Dominican, I’m asked to say at least morning and evening prayer (lauds and vespers), pray the rosary daily, and go to daily Mass when I can. If I go to daily Mass, it’s usually the 11:45 at my Dominican-run parish.

How well do you achieve it, and how do you handle those moments when you don’t?

Since unlike Br. Humber or Sister Mary Catharine, I don’t live in community and have a life that is governed by a horarium, it can be difficult, especially vespers, since that’s right around dinner time. If I’m going out (like I am this evening, to a hockey game), and circumstances dictate that I can’t say vespers at the regular time, I try to say it when I get home. Yesterday, for example, I had an early morning doctor appointment, so I missed being able to say lauds. Since I’m not bound by pain of sin to say the office, like priests are, if I miss it’s not a huge deal. I just get back to my normal routine the next day (or as soon as I can. There are times when I’ve been hospitalized and unable to say my breviary because I wasn’t quite with it. 🙂 ). On most days, I manage this fairly well.

Do you have a devotion that is particularly important to you or effective?

The rosary, and we’re going to talk bout that more below. I’m also a huge fan of the Divine Mercy chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours. In fact, wanting to pray the Liturgy of the Hours regularly is what led me to the Lay Dominicans!

Do you have a place, habit, or way of praying?

I generally pray while sitting in a corner of my couch, next to a small end table that has a candle with Our Lady of Guadalupe on it, and a statue of Our Lady of the Smile. My rosary beads and some devotional books are also on this table. I pray lectio at my kitchen table so I have room to spread out my Bibles and my notebook.

Do you use any tools or sacramentals?

My rosary, of course. Lots of books–breviary, the Ignatius Study Bible New Testament, and the C.S. Lewis Bible, which I adore. I also like to use a pamphlet of rosary devotions, or the Magnificat Rosary book.

What is your relationship with the Rosary?

I love it. I’ve always loved it. I always have one on me–usually a few, actually. It’s my favorite way to pray. I love how many layers there are to it; there’s always something new to think about. It’s my go-to intercessory prayer. When people are on my prayer list, that means they get a decade of the rosary.

Are there any books or spiritual works that are important to your devotional life?

There are a few I regularly go back to: Mother Mary Francis’ Come, Lord Jesus (a book of Advent meditations), Fr. Richard Neuhaus’ Death on a Friday Afternoon for Lent, and Be Holy, by Fr. Thomas Morrow, is amazing.

What is your most recent spiritual or devotional reading?

Right now I’m reading Benedict XVI’s General Audiences: Prayer. And I’m just about to finish those. Next up will be a book by Cardinal Wuerl that, incidentally, Brother Humbert got me for Christmas. 🙂

Are there saints or other figures who inspire your prayer life or act as patrons?

St. Therese of Lisieux was my confirmation saint, and I have a strong devotion to her. St. Catharine of Alexandria, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Dominic (of course), and St. Catherine of Siena are also some of my favorite patrons. Since I sing, St. Gregory and St. Cecilia are often called upon. I also love the story of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and pray to her frequently. My Dominican patron is Blessed Lucy of Narni, and yes, she is most likely the influence for both “Narnia” and Lucy Pevensie, which makes me happy, and may have been an influencing factor in me choosing her. Also St. Genesius of Rome, the patron saint of actors!

Have you had any unusual or even miraculous experiences as the result of your prayer life?

Like this:

I was fortunate enough to meet Sr. Mary Catherine (and most of the other Summits nuns!) when I was discerning if I had a vocation to their wonderful life in Summit, NJ. Obviously, I didn’t, or I wouldn’t be writing here (ha!), but the deep Dominican spirituality and joy I found there continues to echo.

Like this:

Lots of wet, wet snow. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and Dad drove me. It took us almost an hour to go 12 miles. Sigh. But we made it on time and in tact, so that was good. (Dad gets a wee bit overprotective about me and snow. I love him for it.) Anyway, my PFTs are up two points, so that’s a good thing. We’re happy about that. Most of the visit was spent talking about the switch from my current insurance to the new insurance and how I may be without insurance for a period during this transition, which makes us slightly nervous, because MEDS. Like, Meds I need to Keep The Lungs Happy. Sigh. But we’ll work it out. I can get the meds….somewhere. I think. I hope! There’s getting them and then there’s paying for them. Two separate things. But we’re working on it. Yes. We are.

Wearing::

Jeans, SmartWool socks (I LOVE these things), and a turquoise/teal sweater with a cute little bow details. I try to look cute but also utilitarian for clinic, because you have to take off clothes for the X-ray, and if they want anything else, you want to be fairly comfortable but presentable. (Sometimes I’ve had bronchs when I’ve been all prettied up for work, and those always suck, because you’re in nice clothes that then get all wrinkly because you have to take them off and put them in a bad. Sigh.)

Still working on the cowl and bookmarks. Yay! 🙂 And adding new sections to the BOOK.

Around the house::
The tree is finally down! I vacuumed the section of the rug that was under it but good, let me tell you. I have to do some more loads of dishes, because you know, I cooked last night, and that means more dishes than my dishwasher can handle.

Meals for the week::

Um, right now, I’ve got nothing. I had chicken piccata with roasted fennel last night, and that was good. Tonight might just be quick two bean chili. I need to make my list and go shopping tonight or tomorrow.

In the CD player::

The Original Broadway Cast of Parade. The best show I have ever done, period.

Final scene of Parade (I’m in the blue pinafore in the center).

Bible reading::

I’m reading the letters of St. Peter this week and probably next week, and then it’s a study of Esther.

There was also this special post. I am so happy. Editing this manuscript went pretty well, except for some parts that made me think why did I write this DRECK?! But that’s what editing is for….getting out all the crap. There are some entire sections that need to be seriously trashed and re-written, and the prospect there is sort of daunting. But first I’m working on adding a more solid ending, which was one of the big problems in the first go-round. One thing at a time, right? But for January, my goal was to just edit the firs two parts of the book, not the whole thing. So I am lightyears ahead there!

III.

Quick Oscar movie posts: I saw Gone Girl and How to Train Your Dragon 2. Gone Girl has one nomination (best actress for Rosamund Pike, who plays Amy), and How to Train Your Dragon 2 is nominated for Best Animated Feature.

I wasn’t really impressed with Pike in Gone Girl. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good actress, but I don’t think she was quite as creepy as the role requires her to be. I’m also not sure if that’s a fault of the writing/medium. In the book, she’s just so creepy. In the movie she’s borderline creepy. Also, the movie doesn’t do as good of a job fleshing out Amy and Nick’s “before.” I know, movies are different than books, but in this case it just didn’t translate well. And with the competition in the best actress category, I don’t think Pike will win.

As far as HTTYD2, I thought it was very well done, just as good as its predecessor. Gorgeous animation, great story. I’d need to see more of this category to predict, however.

IV.

If you’re looking for a great Lenten e-retreat, as it were, ladies, I give you this:

I can’t believe I made more than 1,000 changes, but….since it’s track changes, some of those are things like fixing spelling errors and spacing issues, but most of them are actual word changes. Real editing not just clean-up and formatting.

So now it’s on to writing more chapters (because an ending was one of my big initial issues with the m/s)!

Seventh Commandment

all writing (c) 2004-2014, Emily M. DeArdo

Full Disclosure

Starting January 2015, the book links I post are Amazon affiliate links. If you enter Amazon.com through my blog and then make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the sale. This money will be used to help me financially support myself and my writing, but I will never recommend books that I haven't actually read (or are reading) just for financial compensation. And of course, any books that I love I will again pass on to you, so you can love them too. As Elizabeth F. calls it, "An eternal circle of Amazon life." :)